LiFePO4weredd/Pi+ (18650 battery) w/ Stackable Header

SKU: CE07322 Brand: Maker Community

Retired Product

This product has been replaced by: Raspberry Pi UPS
This product is no longer available. This page is only for reference.

The LiFePO4wered/Pi+™ is a high-performance battery power system for the Raspberry Pi. It can power a Raspberry Pi for up to nine hours from its battery (depending on installed battery size, Raspberry Pi model, attached peripherals, and system load) and can be left plugged in continuously.

Very few people care about power. It’s not glamorous, it’s inconvenient that you need it, and it’s an afterthought in many projects. Yet, nothing works without it. Have you noticed how many project pictures hide the power supply? Most project pictures have a cable running off somewhere; even supposedly autonomous robots often have an umbilical cord run somewhere out-of-frame. People get excited about the processor, the radio, the servos, etc., but never about the power their creation needs. With LiFePO4wered/Pi+, that’s completely fine — you can concentrate on the rest of your awesome project knowing you have a reliable, clean, battery-backed power supply that will keep everything humming along.

Features

battery size 18650: 1500 mAh 3.2 V LiFePO4 cell (full specification)
High continuous load current whether on battery or external power: 18650 size: maximum 2 A continuous load current
Smart charge controller:

Over-charge protection: allows the device to stay plugged in continuously and provides UPS functionality.
Auto-adjusting charge current: charge current up to 1.5 A when used with high-power chargers, but automatically reduces current as needed to not overload low power sources.
Customizable maximum power point (MPP) voltage: obtain maximum efficiency when powered directly from suitably sized solar panels.

Smart power manager:

I2C communication: two-way communication with the Raspberry Pi enables easy configuration, monitoring, and clean shutdown.
Power manager and daemon: work together to ensure clean shutdowns and provide over-discharge protection, resulting in long life and high reliability.
Continuous monitoring: input voltage, battery voltage, output voltage, and load current are continuously measured and checked against user-programmable thresholds for boot, shutdown, and hard power down.
On/off button: provides convenient boot/shutdown triggers even in headless setups, with press and hold function to prevent accidental activation (external button can be added).
Green PWR LED: indicates the Raspberry Pi power state, provides feedback to the user (external power LED can be added).
Red CHRG LED: indicates power drawn from external input, whether to charge the battery or power the load (external charge LED can be added).
Wake timer: allows the Raspberry Pi to be off most of the time and wake up as needed for low duty cycle applications.
Real-time clock: keeps track of time when the Raspberry Pi is off and restores system time on boot, with the ability to wake up at an absolute time.
Auto boot: can maximize uptime by making the Raspberry Pi run whenever there is sufficient battery power or when external input power is present.
Auto shutdown: can automatically shut the Raspberry Pi down when input power is removed, either immediately or after a programmable amount of time.
Application watchdog: can alert a user by flashing the PWR LED or trigger a shutdown/reboot if the user application fails to service the timer within a configurable amount of time.

Open source host-side tools (see GitHub repo):

LiFePO4wered daemon: takes care of shutdown and RTC management.
Command-line tool: allows simple configuration and access to all features.
Shared library, language bindings: C/C++, Python, and Node.js bindings allow integration into user programs.

Compact physical dimensions: 18650 size: 52 mm x 75 mm

Mounting Kit

Every LiFePO4wered/Pi+ sold during this campaign will come with a mounting kit to mechanically secure the LiFePO4wered/Pi+ to the Raspberry Pi. The mounting kit consists of two bolts, two nuts, and two spacers.

Compatibility

The LiFePO4wered/Pi+ with 18650 battery is compatible with all modern, genuine Raspberry Pi products (Model A+, Model B+, 2, 3, 3 Model B+, 4, Zero, and Zero W).

In addition, the LiFePO4wered/Pi+ is compatible with the following non-Raspberry Pi single-board computers: Odroid C2, Nano Pi S2, Allwinner H3, and ASUS Tinker Board. The LiFePO4wered/Pi+ was designed to work with most single-board computers with a Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO footprint. High power boards may only work with the 18650 battery, and modification to heat sinks or using extra headers for spacing may be necessary

Expansions & Modifications

The LiFePO4wered/Pi+ was designed with hackability in mind. There are convenient connection points for easily expanding and modifying its functionality. Some examples:

Add a case-mounted on/off button.
Add a case-mounted LED to indicate charging state.
Add a case-mounted LED to indicate power state.
Add a resistor to adjust the maximum power point (MPP) for use with solar panels.
Connect external loads, such as a case fan, to either 5 V or the battery voltage.
Take out the battery or snap off the whole battery compartment along the perforations and use with bigger LiFePO4 cells.

Lithium Iron Phosphate: a Primer

Unlike other battery chemistries, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are ideally suited for use in an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) because they are:

Powerful: deliver high continuous load current
Long-lasting: thousands of recharge cycles, not hundreds
Safe: don't catch fire or explode
Stable: 3.2 - 3.3 V during most of discharge
Durable: low self-discharge rate, no memory effects, no degradation from extended charging
Environmentally friendly: no heavy metals, RoHS compliant, reusable thousands of times
Adaptable: operate in cold (down to -20°C) and hot (up to 60°C) environments

Support & Documentation

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Retired

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We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

$3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
$7+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
$11+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

$12+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
$16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

40 Aruma Place
Cardiff
NSW, 2285
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

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